Drugs – Page 263 – Balding Blog

June 12, 2007

Dying Transplanted Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, thx for this great site, it is very useful to me.

I have a question regarding dying grey hair. I am thinking about using the just for men 5 minutes dye for my grey hair. I am 30 and had 2 hair transplants which I’m satisfied with. I use propecia and rogaine daily to maintain my hair. In the past, when I was not on any medications, dying my hair seemed to accelerate my hairloss. I have 3 questions:

is dying my hair with just for men, or any other formula, safe for remaining hair and transplanted hair (considering I’m on medications now)?

would using minoxidil (rogaine) regularly affect the color and make it look bad?

Also, what would you personally recommend for my particular case?

Thanks in advance!

You can generally dye your hair without worrying about hair loss.
Minoxidil should not affect the color of your hair or hair dye.
For your particular case, you can do whatever suits you. You can color your hair and/or you can use minoxidil. I do not endorse any particular products. If you are concerned about hair loss, you can see a doctor for a good examination and a Master Plan.

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June 11, 2007

Using 30% Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I asked this questin eariler but got no response- I am a 21 year old male and have been using 30% minoxidil for a month now cause of severe thinning all over. Are the new hairs that are suppose to be growing in vellus hairs or are they going to be terminal hairs. In addition are new hairs unaffected by MPB and untreated by any drug or anything say in the back of the head thinner and lighter in color as they emerge through the scalp or are they regular terminal hairs? In addition is it possible for miniturization to occur all over the head or only in areas affected by MPB. Thanks

I also have noted some patients reporting hair loss after starting minoxidil. While the exact mechanism is not understood, it is thought that hair cycle is “reset” as you start using minoxidil. So the hair follicle is accelerated to a telogen (hair loss) phase as it gets ready to go into the anagen (growth) phase. If you use minoxidil on your arm, for example, it will produce vellus hair. A 30% solution is high, so be careful for side effects, which will be more common.

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June 11, 2007

Using Minoxidil On Newly Transplanted Hair? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello-

What is your recommendation regarding the use of Minoxidil post-op on the newly transplanted hair?

Does Minoxidil really do anything to speed the growth of the new transplanted hair?

It seems like half of the guys use this and half do not.

Thank you.

You can use minoxidil after a hair transplant surgery, but there is no conclusive proof that it will speed the growth of the newly transplanted hair. In the end, if your hair transplant was a success your hair will grow with or without minoxidil.

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June 8, 2007

Increased Hair Loss from Finasteride – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr.Rassman,

I am a 28 year old person who is balding and reads your blog with great interest. I’m not very bald though as yet and I have been taking finasteride for 4 months now. I am going to again ask you a question which has been previously answered by you.

Do you think finasteride causes increase in shedding in the frontal and the temporal region?

I am experiencing very heavy shedding since last one month. I believe I have become more bald in last one to one and half months than I would have become in 2 years had I not gone on this medication. I am more bald and more sad. I know you have previously stated that in your experience finasteride should not cause increased shedding, but after extensive search on the internet I have come to a conclusion that once your are on this drug, increased shedding in the front and side is a fact experienced by numerous people who emphasize earnestly that its just not their regular shedding which is coincident with the start of medication. I am not sure if you can understand them. I can because I am going through it.

There is guy who claims to be a physician and is planning to sue the company as this shedding is not mentioned as a side effect in the official drug literature. I hope this gives you an idea of the gravity of the situation. As for my case, please tell me what do you think. Should I continue the medication? I am in catch 22. As an aside, to the people who are experiencing sexual side effects I would like to recommend taking some time out and working out. I perform better sexually during the period I workout.

I have answered your question in the past and this answer was based upon the large number of people who have been prescribed Propecia by me. I do not remember anyone who has had your complaint, but an internet group of doctors collectively have reported some cases of shedding of hair on the drug. Frankly, it makes no sense to me in that 5 alpha reductase blockade should not impact shedding. There are two comments worth making:

2. Hair loss is a progressive process that comes on in spurts, of periods of accelerated loss and periods of less loss or stability. What you are going through may be one of your normal cycles, coincident with your taking Propecia. Everything you are observing may not be Cause / Effect.

Frankly, I am only a clinician with a great deal of experience with this drug prescribing it to many young and older men. I am only reporting what I know, but I will pass this question to Merck and see what they say about it.

I will publish their answer when I get it from them.

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June 6, 2007

1mg vs 1.25mg of Finasteride Daily – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr,

Firstly i would like to thankyou for this amazing site keep us the good work. I would like to know what are the greater benefits and disadvantages of using quarter proscar tablets (1.25mg) as compared to the 1 mg propecia dose. How much of an effect will the 0.25 mg have ie: sexual side effects and hair count.

One other thing, what is your say on taking 2 mg every second day? Will it give the same benefits as taking 1 mg every day? would it have higher side effects?

please reply urgently. thanks

If you are cutting 5mg finasteride in to 1/4 tablets to make 1.25mg, I doubt it would have any significant impact on side effects.

Finasteride (1mg or 2mg or 5mg) should be taken everyday since most of the drug is out of your blood stream by the end of a day. If you skip a day, your body will not have any benefits of finasteride for that day.

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June 4, 2007

Can I Shave My Head While Taking Propecia? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

I am a 23 year old African American male and noticed a receding hairline and loss of hair in the front of my head on the sides just this year out of the blue. I have been taking Propecia now for about a month. I have 2 questions: Will Propecia work properly if I bald my head so that I can try to hide the receding hairline? AND You said that Propecia takes about 8 months before results start to happen. WIll using Propecia allow me to return my hair back to the normal pattern so that I can have cornrows?

You can shave your head. The efficacy of Propecia (finasteride) will not depend on the length of your hair, but Propecia will likely NOT restore your receding hair line. Propecia shows its most benefit on the top and crown areas of the scalp. It will likely not bring your hair back to a normal pattern, but it will slow down or even stop the hair loss. There is no magic pill or drug that can do this.

June 1, 2007

Hair Loss InformationUsing Anti-Estrogen Drugs to Combat Propecia Side Effects? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

Just wondering whether you can comment on the use of anti estrogen drugs to combat side effects related to propecia (lowered libido, gynecomastia etc)?

I have just started on 0.5mg of Arimidex twice a week. I tried lowering propecia dosage but this decreased effectiveness and did not reduce side effects. Are any of your patients on Arimidex? what dosage?

cheers

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Arimidex is an anti-breast cancer drug. I do not prescribe Arimidex or know of any of my patients who are on Arimidex. You should consult with your doctor before considering any changes to your medication. Also note that Arimidex can cause it own set of side effects. It is not a ‘walk in the park’ solution.

May 31, 2007

Hair Loss Information20 Year Old Just Had a Hair Transplant to Cover a Scar – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor,
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I find your site highly informative and at times humorous. I’m a 20 year old student; recently I had a hair transplant (around
1000 grafts) at the back of my head to cover an old scar. Judging by my close relatives, I will not inherit hereditary baldness.

It has been four months since the transplant and the grafts are growing quite well. However I have fairly long hair and the growth is slower than I would like. Could I use minoxidl to boost the growth rate? Also can you please explain the initial loss of hair that occurs with minoxidil usage, what causes it?

Once again thank you for reading this.

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I am pleased that you enjoy reading my blog and that your hair transplant went well. However there is not much you can do in accelerating hair growth. Rogaine / minoxidil will not boost the growth rate. As you are only 4 months from surgery, I would expect more growth over the next 3-4 months, so be patient.

With respect to the hair loss that sometimes occurs with the use of minoxidil, it is believed that the hair loss occurs from the “resetting” of the hair cycle.

May 31, 2007

Hair Loss InformationJoint Pain from Propecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

by taking propecia(1mg per day) i was having knee joint pain & it was getting normal after 4-5 days of stopping the intake of propecia. this i have tried after a gap of few days,still the effect is same.i am regular user of minoxidil 2% since last 2 yrs. earlier before that for 1 yr i had applied minoxidil 5% & have satisfactory results out of it. please advice.

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I have never had any of my patients experience joint pain from the use of Propecia. I will make a note to ask the Propecia drug representative from Merck. Aside from the medication side effect, have you explored the possibility of an inherent joint problem such as arthritis that may be coincidental with the use of Propecia?

May 30, 2007

Hair Loss InformationMasturbating to Avoid Acne While Taking Finasteride? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor,

I’m 23. I’ve been taking Proscar 5mg for over 6 months and see some improvement. However, I keep getting mild acne. When I stop the medication, the acne stops. However, recently I started masturbating observed the acne stopped even during medication. Are the two activities connected? Do I continue masturbating to avoid acne? Please advice, thanks.

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That’s quite a question…

If you are taking Proscar (finasteride 5mg) for the treatment of hair loss you are over doing it and overdosing. You should take one quarter tablet of Proscar a day. You will not gain any benefit by taking the extra dose.

I do not see any correlation between acne and masturbating. And I highly doubt you just started masturbating to observe this phenomenon and must be pulling my leg on this aspect of your question.